SSW has committed to Net Zero 2040 and, over the past two years, we have attended Net Zero conferences, joined local sustainability networking group People, Planet, Pint, and won funding from Sussex Community Foundation for energy audits, sustainable windows and solar panels. We have also joined Clean Growth UK, encouraged the use of emails over paper, implemented soft plastic recycling, installed food waste bins and composters, and switched to green web hosting, reducing our CO2 emissions by almost a third.
In 2024, as part of the Adur and Worthing Council Business Support Programme, we attended a workshop and applied for their sustainability match funding grant to change our aged lighting system to more efficient LED units, reducing our electricity consumption.
At this meeting we met another attendee: James Botley, from DW Energy. We talked through our sustainability alterations and ideas with James, and a plan was formed. DW Energy was a perfect match: local and similarly committed to their sustainability journey. James and his colleague Simon Youngman from DW Energy visited SSW and went to incredible lengths to ensure the safeguarding of our visually impaired community whilst making our planned sustainability improvements throughout.
James and Simon have appreciated the struggles and limitations of fundraising and have worked with Sight Support Worthing to make each job achievable.
James and Simon went above and beyond and hatched a plan to complete the South Coast Ultra Challenge – 100k in 24 hours – to raise funds for SSW. Walking from Eastbourne to Arundel in 24 hours, the challenge took strategic planning, as they both work long hours and have families to consider. However, their determination won the day and they gave up hours of their lives to train and compete, so they were in the best physical and mental condition to take on such a mammoth walk. The walk took place in mid-September and DW Energy have now raised more than £2,000 for Sight Support Worthing.
Thank you, James, Simon, and DW Energy!
